Long lines stretch outside of polling places in South Dakota

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Voters were greeted with long lines at many polling locations across South Dakota Tuesday.

The 2020 election is likely to be one for the record books, with many analysts predicting high voter turnout in what has been a contentious race between President Donald Trump and his challenger, Joe Biden.

South Dakota voters have many other key races to determine, including ballot questions legalizing marijuana in the state.

The COVID-19 pandemic has complicated the election process this year.

A record amount of absentee ballots were cast in South Dakota this year as many people looked to avoid voting in person. However, the South Dakota Secretary of State’s office recently told Black Hills FOX News some precincts had to be combined due to a shortage of experienced election workers, which could lead to longer lines at some locations.

South Dakota has a total of 578,322 registered voters in 2016, an increase of nearly 6% from 2016. Voter turnout in the 2016 election in South Dakota was 69.6%, well above the national average of 55%.

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